Articulable Heated Cooking Surface With Gravity Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable cooking surfaces, such as electric griddles, face challenges in managing cooking fluids during use and compact storage, as they often require fluid removal and folding mechanisms that ensure safety and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A portable cooking surface with foldable legs and a built-in lifting mechanism that tilts the cooking surface to drain fluids into a removable reservoir, which includes an interlock system to secure the reservoir during storage, ensuring safe and compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cooking surface is tilted to drain fluids during cooking, then fluid drainage efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the lifting mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking surface is designed with a lifting mechanism that allows it to change from a horizontal position during cooking to a tilted position during drainage. This dynamic adjustment enables the surface to adapt its orientation based on operational needs, improving fluid drainage while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through controlled movement rather than complex fixed components.
2Ease of operation
If the legs are foldable to enable compact storage, then storage convenience is improved, but the reliability of fluid containment deteriorates due to potential reservoir dislodgement
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is equipped with an interlock mechanism that automatically engages when the legs are folded to the storage position. This preliminary design feature ensures that before storage occurs, the reservoir is securely locked in place, preventing any potential dislodgement or fluid leakage during transport, thus maintaining reliability while enabling compact storage.
3Ease of repair
If the reservoir is removable to allow easy oil disposal, then ease of maintenance is improved, but the risk of parts falling out during storage increases
Solution Approach 1:
An interlock mechanism serves as an intermediary between the removable reservoir and the device body. This intermediary component allows the reservoir to be easily removed for maintenance when needed, while simultaneously providing a secure locking function during normal storage and operation, thus mediating between the conflicting requirements of ease of maintenance and prevention of parts falling out.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively manages fluid drainage during cooking and allows for safe and compact storage by ensuring the reservoir remains secure when the legs are folded, enhancing user safety and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
the reservoir may also include an interlock to keep it safely within the unit when the lifting legs are folded way for storage
Implementation Method 2
a lifting mechanism which allows the cook surface to be operated at an angle to ensure that cooking oils will be constantly drained away during cooking
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking plate having a cooking surface, in one embodiment, two folding legs and a drip tray. The legs include a recess and the tray includes a sloped land. When the legs are folded into a storage position, the tray is prevented from sliding by the interlock between the land and recess. In a second embodiment, the legs including a tilting/lifting member which is pivotally moveable from a planar position on the leg member surface to a lifting position with a portion of the lifting member being longer than the height of the folding legs. The lifting member portion rests against the folding leg in an over-center splayed angle abutting the folding let to create a stable lifting leg.